Protected open-end blade



July 4, 1944. v H. A. GUSTAFSON PROTECTED OPEN-END BLADE Fil'ed Jan. 15,1944 )NVENTOR.

ammy Patented July 4, 1944 v V U -D} E R TEIGILED T-ENDB D 1. Henry A.Gustafson ,-:Dorchestelf, Mass., assignorto 1 Gillette Safety Raz0r Gompaniry-Bbstbh, @Massf,ao'orpotation 01' Delawarei T n nt en tes: tew appn 'on mteqtn o di r bution z az rlades .;0L l1 openrend type t at i to sy es; havin -twet ha pened side; portions separated :by a longitudinal-slot pe ng throu h. one en :9 the b ade. lnzq asp, .t-'-.th li v t evens s: en'.l-:er en-;end bladeprotected by ajflexible cover sheet soshaped and-disposed asto'p rmi thee ed-an pro: teeted blade :tobe'advanced by endwise imove n ent:v into shaving; position betweenfthecblfldee clamping membersof asafety razor. u

-In handlingsafety razor blades Lunder commercialroonditions oftransportation and-n dis: tribution and iin'the more or lesseasualtreatment otws ch' lades-by t eiuse t ee t nely fi keen edge ofxtheblade is likely to become 'dul-led bybein-g zbrought into contact withits wrapping orgwith'; other objects r-before'qit can be actuallyclamped-'inoshaving position inthe razor: Qn" 8185; 13d$i3b18 $0-thivaccounttheabest and 'most skillful efiortsinventio ot tnieapplioation, al-

ofii the manufacturer "in 1 sharpening blades are often broughttonaughtbecause of thed-amage" npt lirnited te tn; 1113120 anypart-icular' style or done :to: the'lvery fragile and. delicatestrueture open-endjblade; blktis general in its applioat ion. of theblade edge after it has been broughtgito 'i'ne blade isconstructecltoiithm sheet steel usualthe'wkeenest possibleshaving.condition and :rbe- 25 1y 'irom-uuu lll-rtoquu'lf in-thicknesa'ritltis-subfore the "shaving" operation is actually: under stanti'ally:reetangularzincoutline, vsharpened .at takenxrn. z ix- Whil saf ty r z rblades h ving,closed 'orv temperecn;lt-isipiovidedzineach'fcof'nerwithi'a' solid: 'ends'i'ha've been heretofore protected .byreent'rant notehiand'ithesei e" neen cover sheets of various shapesthe.present'imzen- 3o. h -made an;eidngateutimsharpened end .portion tionsolves for the first time the problem of adel'zicon-stic'utm'g 'ani'rrg'e'kietwenitn'e itwo sine poi means for holding a protected bladein its'ifinal' tured to clear-theblade slot"oranvintermediate quately.protecting :blades of the" open-end type tlonsJU'iIrXdn..:.-Ifrnesmngesportion'.tzis usually e that' theym y: be r lyconveniently annealedanh-sortefied as eonipareutolth'bofliorpresented'by endwise movement *to arazor in which'the blade-clampingmembers are not 'completelyidetachable but are connected foryjonlya'rlimited separation to receive arblade between i i I v A f a -l,:Itris frequently'desired-to pres'entthe protected x blader fully inshaving position before inanyiway removing or disturbing the protective'coverand manysafety razors are provided'withdetaining position in therazor while the-protective :coverI-isstrippedffrom the blade;K870158201?EitS'fBEtIIIES? theipresent' 'inven-tioniaeilitate's'rtthistimode nf blade handling by providing atprotective'bover which is'"fo1de'd" over one endof therblad'e upon both:sides'offthe blade slot],beingiitselfiiaper enlargement thereof andtherebyrpermitting the 915d blade t0'"be. engaged 'and heldfibysuitable-means 1 twin? P ateau-M cb een; operating bonsequently without?any interference i llkrf fiieentl ll ytnotchedr-iinntsr edgesr-to:define 2 Whatever irom the protective cover of the blade; Y- r e fl h randifolfitheipuf 1 its .twofxouterx and? Suitably hardened {and me bladeat tmay beneiedwit" utdan' 'er :Theses and; other features .oflthe?invention; will 55. 7p0se-;of'"reducing'its" width:f The ilea'fg'z L'isipro-ri ezoidal enlargement 26 which is disposed adj acent. I to thefold line in the leaf 2! .and is of such N width as to provide clearancefor the divided end portion M of the blade.

The blade is placed fiatlyupon the leafjlt 5 the cover blank, with itssolid end portion, I21, overlying the inner portion of the tongue 23,and

its divided end portion projecting beyond the inner edge of the enlargedaperture 26 of the leaf 2 l. folded -over-the shoulders 'ofthe bladeupon both sides-of thedivided end portion My The tongue 2 Msbrought-intosuperposed relation to the 'solidend portion I2-of*the'blade; and then the *ears 24- are folded'upwardly'and inwardly:'When adhesivel-y -secured -in place they operate to hold-- the bladesecurely within its cover with-both ofits sharpened edges lyingwell-withinthe margins-of the coverand with the bladeslot-H and itsintermediate enlargements fullyexposed'with in the boundaries ofthe slotA 2 5 and its enlarge- The leaf 2| is then turned upwardly and ment 26 mthe cover;- The-tongues 22*and 23- and the ears 24 providethe protectedblade-with a projecting handle or finger tab extendingoutwardly-beyondthe hinge portion 1 2 of the'blade. It willbeunderstoodthatthe cover thus formedmay be removed from the blade -at*any-time by merely pulling-thecoverendwiseby its finger tabwhich-includesthe tongues -22 -and 23 andthe cars 24. Th-iseauses thecover'to rupture-along its fold line over the shoulders at the other-endof the-blade where ithe efiectivewidth-0t the cover is already reducedbythe external notches andthe internaI-aperture-ZSP 2 Assalready pointed:out it is. advantageous to remove the protective cover'only when theblade hasbeen. fullyinserted. in therazor. inv which it is.to beused,-and.. in Figsulesoistherefore shown. one suitable. type. .ofrazor. .It.wil1.be understood, however, ,that. the .,blade..her.ein,.disclosed .is. not limitedto use, in.the.illustratedrazor.orin safety.razorsof .any. particular construction or .type.

.The .safetydrazor.shownin. Figs. 1-.-3 comprises. a uard memberfiflsubstan ally.rec an ular in. ou ine, av n qwn um d u rd. ar. portions.and, a .bladc n aei e. fa whi h is' substant ally. ex int ansr secontour. It, p m nently connectedto a tubular ferrule 3! which in turnis rotatably connected to the barrel SZ of the handle. Cooperating withthe guard member 30 is a cap member 33 somewhat narrower than theguardmember'an'd having a concave blade-engaging face which cooperateswith the face of r the guard to impart atra nsve'rse curvature to theblade 'whenthe capand guard are drawn to gether in blade-clampingrelation. 'The'cap is providedbn its concave face'with a circularprojec'tionttadapted to fit "within the circularape'r ture 15 of theblade'when the blade'i's bowedinto contactwith the cap: 'Ih'ecap also haa downwardly projecting stem 35"which-is-- permanently connected'toaspi-ndle -36-threaded-at its lower end for connection.withthe barrel 32of-thehandle. A stop screw S'Listhreaded-into the-lower end .of thespindle L35 andlimitstheseparationof the cap and guard members of therazor to substantially the amount shown in Fig. 2, that is to say, to aspace just sufficient to receive the protected blade when advancedendwise in flat condition between them. A compression spring 38 locatedin a chamber formed for that purpose in the ferrule 3i tends always tomove the cap and guard toward each other. The ap roaching movement ofthe cap andguardimay be opposed by the fingers of the user, as suggestedin Fig. 1, when it is desired to present a protected blade to the razoror remove it therefrom. The razor described-is not herein claimed butconstitutes the. subject, matter of co-pending application,

Ser. No'509,970,;Lewando, November 12, 1943.

In;.presentingtheprotected open-end blade of Fig. 4 to the razor ofFigs. 1-3 the user may supportth'e-guard member 30 with his first andsecondfingers and press upwardly with his thumb upon the end of thebarrel 32 as suggested in Fig. 1. Thecap- 33 istlius-separated-"fmm-theguard 30 sufficiently'to permit the convenient in'- sertio'n of theprotected bladein' flat position-by endwise'mov'ement between-the partsof :the safe ty= razor. In'this' operation the slot l3 of the bladeaffords clearance for: thestem 3'5 ofthe cape Wheny the blade has-'beenfully presented its circular aperture L I 5 will register with thecircular" projection 34 on the inner'faceof the cap;- When:

- pressureis released uponthe handleoftlfe razon the spring38-immediately-moves -the cap and guard members together with-sufficientpressure to bow the protected blade transversely-:and thu's: fit itsaperture l5-upon the projection 35* came cap.- The-bladeisnow h'eldpositively againstendwise movement and the =userlhasonly=to graspi thefolded 'endofthe protective coverrand pull the cover outwardly;rupturingxitalong itsifol'dline and stripping it. completely from itheblade'." He may now complete the blade-clamping.-opera-. tionupon thebareblade andthussecureitfullir: in shaving conditionwithout thepossibilityeo't: any. detrimental contact with the sharpened-edgesi ofthe blade; x 1. j Having thus disclosedv my invention -.:and:=. scribedin detail oneillustrative embodiment: thereof, I claim as new and desireto secureeb'yc Letters Patent: I

1. A protected open-end blade internallytapere. tured forengagement withlocating projections-of asafety razor and having. anelongatedMusharraf-it ened portion ateach end, one -of. which-isdivided bybtheaperture of the blade, andacotten shbetz folded? over the divided-i end:portion, and being; itself :apertured to clear theaperture oftheibladi-i 2.. A protected open-end blade. having. sharlpi-i; ened sideportions separatedby alongitridixi'alrs slot opening through one end ofthe blade,.:and8 acoversheet folded-overth'at end ofgthe"- blade andbeingslottedto clear the S10tZ20fthenbladd at its open-end. 71'

3. A .thin flexible blade withva'mediatlongitue: dinal .slot whichopens. into .oneieri'diof the blade and has amedial local.enlargement/the sblade'be ing enclosed'in aflexible wrappen'which alsomuse a vmedial longitudinal. slot openingsintoi the-core. respondingendof the wrapper; -'i

4. A thin flexible safetymazoribladeof ithe-kindzr intended tobexfiexed'between clamping =m'emberso for shaving,havingcornerc-recesses!andla medial; longitudinal slot; opening; "into:eone's end 015;, the blade and protected by-= awrappen ghaving 1alone... gitudinal .medial slot .openingdntorthe COIIGSDOHd-' ingend ofthewrapper. sothat'theswrapped blade can beadyancedendwise intoa razorbetween the blade-clamping members thereof, the slot in the blade havinglocal enlargements which enable the wrapped blade to be effectivelyfitted to the latter left behind in the razor ready for clamping, thewrapper being folded over the transverse shoulders of the cornerrecesses in one end of the. blade and the free ends brought together toform a finger tab projecting beyond the other end of the blade and saidwrapper being formed so that it ruptures on the fold line when it ispulled off the blade.

HENRY A. GUSTAFSON.

